Member Spotlight: Michael Greer

TAA member Michael Greer is a Lecturer at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Editor for Research in Online Literacy Education, and both a textbook and academic author in the English writing discipline.

His most recent publications include The Little, Brown Handbook, 14th ed. and The Little, Brown Compact Handbook, 10th ed. Michael has published four other books on literacy, technology, and digital publishing.

What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a mobile publishing text and platform for technical writers, in conjunction with Gadget Software.

Share a recent accomplishment.
After 16 months of work, the new editions of The Little, Brown Handbook were published in February 2018. After working as a development editor on many handbooks, I am now an author! It was exciting to see my name on the cover instead of on the credits page.

What is your favorite textbook writing tip or strategy?For textbooks, I love the strategy of backward design. Begin with learning outcomes: what do students need to know and be able to do by the end of this unit or chapter? Use the learning outcomes to build a chapter outline, divide the content into small, chunky mini-units, and then write the content. It’s a way of applying content strategy to textbook development.

What is your best TAA experience so far?
The conference in Providence was great–but I really love the webinars. They always give me new ideas and re-energize me.